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Infinite Fire – A virtual exhibition tour by Joost R. Ritman

On 16 December last year the library that was closed a year before in 2010 re-opened its doors. With the exhibition Infinite Fire we wanted to show that we wish to continue with our mission: to preserve the spiritual heritage of Western culture and make it available to everyone so as to support the spirit of social and spiritual transformation. The theme of Infinite Fire is that of the divine source of infinite inspiration which runs through all that exists. It is as it were a living current of an inexhaustible force, a divine omnipresent heartbeat manifest in all life forms. From the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdom to the kingdom of man, everything that exists possesses a spark of this divine fire and carries within the key to open the way to the heart.

A little before October 15th, when the exhibition in the library ended, we thought it would be a good idea to bring Infinite Fire online in order to ensure and spread the everlasting warmth of its existence. The founder of the library, Joost R. Ritman, immediately warmed to the idea and together with him we recorded a guided tour throughout the exhibition. We are now happy to offer you the result: a one-hour video tour bringing alive the beautifully illustrated manuscripts and rare printed books of the outstanding philosophers Jacob Boehme, Abraham von Franckenberg, Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, Heinrich Khunrath, Johann Valentin Andreae, Benedictus de Spinoza, Jan Amos Comenius and many more great thinkers who have carried the torch of the Infinite Fire in their lives.

The motto of the library is Ad Fontes, Ex Fontibus, back to the sources, from the sources. And it was with the Infinite Fire exhibition that we invited you to admire the sources kept in the library’s treasure house this past year. Now it is time to take these sources out of the library and present them to you in the unlimited virtual space. To all those who did not have the chance to visit the library yourselves and to all of you interested in acquiring in-depth knowledge of what is at the heart of the library, enjoy the guided tour!

This re-kindled my desire to return to Amsterdam as a more seasoned student of the mysteries. I lived on the Bloomstrat in 1991 and often visited the alchemy library.
This virtual tour re-opened my memories.